Boxing Day is a peculiarly English tradition.
It started in the middle ages when servants, who had worked Christmas Day, were given the next day off and their employers gave them presents or gift boxes.
It was also practice that alms boxes in churches were opened and the contents distributed to the poor on this day, which happens to be St Stephen’s Day.
During his lifetime, St Stephen helped the poor.
He is, coincidentally, Patron Saint of Headaches, which is rather apt considering the feasting that has been going on.
While Boxing Day is observed here and in those enlightened parts of the Commonwealth such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, it is unknown in America, which serves them right.
See what you get when you declare independence: one bank holiday less a year.
In modern times, tradition has switched to the Boxing Day sales. These are recent affairs, as the sales used to start in January.
This year, the sales started in mid-December and have continued ever since, in one form or another, although I suspect now that the panic buying has ceased, prices will drop further.
And just to confuse the whole retail structure, Amazon launched their Boxing Day sale at 4pm yesterday, giving Her Majesty the Queen time to finish her speech to the nation, and settle down with her iPad to search on-line for bargains.
